Imagine building a successful career over two decades, earning a comfortable six-figure salary, then suddenly watching it all slip away—not because of lack of skill or effort, but because artificial intelligence replaced your role. This is the stark reality for Shawn Kay, a veteran software engineer who once made $150,000 a year, now living in a trailer and delivering food to make ends meet. His story sheds light on how AI-driven automation is reshaping the tech labor market and forcing many experienced professionals into uncertain futures.
The sudden fall: from high-tech salary to life in a trailer
Shawn Kay, based in upstate New York, was no ordinary programmer. With a computer science degree and nearly 20 years of experience, he specialized in building complex systems for companies in the burgeoning metaverse sector, one of the most hyped and growing areas in tech. Yet, in April 2024, everything changed.
His employer adopted artificial intelligence tools capable of automating substantial parts of his job. Within weeks, Shawn was laid off. What followed was a grueling job search, marked by frustration and rejection—more than 800 job applications later, fewer than ten interviews, most conducted with automated systems instead of actual people. The feeling of being invisible and filtered out before human eyes ever saw his résumé weighed heavily on him.
This upheaval forced Kay into a small trailer, where he now juggles gig work delivering meals for DoorDash, selling items on eBay, and chasing job leads. The contrast between his previous and current lifestyle couldn’t be more stark.
AI’s growing role in replacing human programmers
Shawn’s experience is not an isolated one. According to Layoffs.fyi, more than 150,000 tech workers lost their jobs in the U.S. in 2024 alone, with layoffs continuing into 2025. Many companies, after a hiring spree during the pandemic, are reversing course, cutting staff and deploying AI to handle tasks once managed by humans.
Anthropic CEO Dario Amodei recently predicted that by September 2025, about 90 percent of all software code could be generated by AI. In a speech to the Council on Foreign Relations, he stated, “In 12 months, we may be in a world where AI is writing essentially all of the code.” Yet, it’s important to note that according to a 2023 developer survey by Stack Overflow, 59 percent of engineers still frequently encounter errors when deploying AI-assisted code. This suggests that while AI is advancing rapidly, human oversight remains indispensable for now.
Economic pressures and outsourcing: a challenging landscape
As companies seek leaner operational models, many have found that replacing a single high-paid U.S. engineer with a team of lower-wage developers abroad is a tempting, cost-effective alternative. This shift not only affects job availability but also the types of positions open to domestic workers. AI tools can automate coding and troubleshooting, while outsourcing drives down costs further.
Shawn encapsulates the tension well: “I think there’s this problem where people are stuck in the old world business mindset of, if I can do the work of 10 developers with 1, then let’s cut the team of developers. Instead of thinking, how can we leverage AI to do 1,000 times the work?”
A call for societal solutions in the age of AI displacement
Despite his troubles, Shawn remains deeply interested in technology and AI, identifying as an “AI maximalist” who does not blame the tools themselves but rather how companies decide to implement them. He views the current moment as “The Great Displacement,” a warning that what is happening to him is just the beginning for many workers.
Having survived previous downturns—including the 2008 financial crisis and the COVID-19 pandemic layoffs—this era feels different. One reason is the speed and scale at which AI-driven change is occurring, combined with a labor market that no longer favors traditional experience alone.
Shawn’s experience echoes broader concerns raised by experts about workforce displacement due to automation. The McKinsey Global Institute proposed in a 2023 report that up to a third of the global workforce could need to switch occupational categories by 2030 because of AI and automation impacts (McKinsey report).
Now 42, Kay still hopes to reenter the tech industry but understands the window might be closing for many peers. He has considered retraining through certificates or even a commercial driver’s license, but upfront costs make those options difficult to pursue.
For those witnessing the AI revolution reshape the workforce, Shawn’s journey serves as a poignant case study in resilience and the urgent need for society to rethink how we support displaced workers in this new era.
What do you think about AI’s impact on job security? Have you witnessed similar experiences in your industry or community? Share your thoughts and stories below—we’d love to hear from you.